High Country Adventure!

Tenth Session Summary:

Session Introduction: Immediately upon their return to Trindam’s pass, the party has been sent to defend the northern part of town — the stables, the blacksmith’s shop, and most importantly, the newly completed wooden bridge that spans the river.

As the party reaches the stables, they find that some squads of kobolds and gnolls have already began crossing the bridge and heading south into town.

…ANDTHEBATTLEFOR TRINDAM’S PASSWASJOINED…

DM’s NOTE: All party members start with 13050 XP and advance to Level 8!

Ninth Session Summary:

Session Introduction: The party was preparing for the Baron’s End of Midwinter Banquet and Grand Ball. It was the barony’s high social event for the winter, marking the point right before the coldest and hardest part of winter was about to embrace the lands and its people.

SEESPECIAL DM’S NOTE AT END OF THISPOSTING !

Session Summary: The men in the party, Iorveth and Micha, were escourted to one room in the hallway where they were given clean clothing and warm water for a much needed bath. They were told to keep their armor and excess weaponry in the room, but as per the custom in this border and frontier barony, they were allowed to be armed with one sword, dirk, or dagger of their choice. Micha chose a more appropriate dagger, but Iorveth was not to be parted with his scimitar, no matter how much the bulk and “overcompensating” he was told it would appear.

The women (Constance, Martha, and Saleigh) were shown to a room just across the hallway where they had six gowns and matching ornamental daggers waiting for them in the hands of the keep’s staff. The waiting ladies explained much of the same as the men heard from their helpers, but Martha’s eyes were drawn to one gown in particular — the one that had a dagger that looked to be an exact replica of the one she lost in the ambush with the kobolds months ago. Upon inspection, and knowing that that dagger was a one-of-a-kind weapon, it was quite easy to say which one Martha chose.

Connie’s glee at getting to rejoin high society and influential people perked her mood and expectations of the evening to the same degree that Saleigh was withdrawing and becoming more apprehensive and moody as the evening’s festivities drew closer.

No sooner had everyone been dressed than Gunther Atur, the Captain of the Guard, knocked and said that it was time for them to see the baron and they were led to the baron’s chambers.

The chambers, upon entering, did not seem to be an audience room, but those of a bedroom. Lying upon his large bed, the true Baron of Harland,Elwin Gabriel Harland (father of Merrick) motioned for the party to come forward and render their report in as regal a voice as a half-paralyzed, stroke victim could utter. As the party neared, another handsome but older woman was holding the baron’s hands. Her dress and manner indicated that she was none other than Lady Laurel Kolleen Harland, the baron’s wife these many years.

As the party briefly recanted their tales of the past few months, the baron interrupted them and was drifting in and out of sleep until the point at which Connie was introduced. With this, his eyes opened and a crooked smile appeared on his contorted face and he motioned Connie to come forward. It was at this moment that Merrick Paxton Harland, the baron’s son and acting regent, entered the room.

The elder baron was overjoyed to introduce Connie as the woman who saved him those many years ago and was just as pleased to see she still wore the pendant he gave her as a token of his appreciation. While the Lady Harland was not happy with this exchange and still displeased with such a stately gift given to a woodland she-hermit, the elder baron told her to not be jealous because nothing ever happened with this woman (despite ugly rumors and unfounded stories to the contrary), but instead be happy such a friend of the barony could attend this evening. With this, he also instructed Merrick that “…this woman is to always hold a special place among the citizens of Harland Barony…” as he doubled-over in a spasm of pain clutching his wife’s hand so hard it made her wince.

The Lady Harland looked down at her husband and her son and said to all present, “This audience is over…the baron and I will now retire for the evening.” And with that, the younger baron looked to his father who nodded feebly in approval as he drifted into unconsciousness.

Merrick said then, after placing a hand on his father’s forehead and kissing his mother’s cheek, turned to the party and said, “We have things to discuss elsewhere. Gunter, we will go to my study now.”

Merrick took everyone to the place where he obviously “ran” the barony. Bookshelves, books, scrolls, dispatches, a large desk piled with papers, candles, torches, and maps were on every wall of the room. In the center, however, were three stuffed and very comfortable looking velvet upholstered couches in a “U” shape topped with a single chair obviously for the young baron.

It was at this point that Merrick noticed the party’s composition had changed — while the numbers were the same, he asked why the outspoken (irreverent?) Callie was not present. Saleigh informed him of her death, a death while unwanted, did save the party as they fought and killed the war party of kobolds that razed Boisen Springs.

He then looked over the party and thanked Constance for her help first to his father, then to his other new friends here…and as he finally was able to let his guard down for a moment, he recognized that this was the first time he had seen all his friends in this environment — and he was taken aback when his eyes fell upon a well-groomed, well-dressed, and well-fed Martha (who was wearing her family’s signet ring that matched the ceremonial dagger at her side).

Questions and information flew freely. Mentionings of troops massing on the kingdom’s western border with a different banner but speaking in the tongues of Mastingdor (and he showed a picture of the banner in an old, beaten sketchbook), the news of kobolds and gnolls massing on the northern frontier border, the sudden arrival of an emissary from Mastingdor at the castle with no mention of her messages, and the word from the court’s physicians that his father would likely not see spring.

Some answers also came. Martha instantly recognized the banner as that of the usurper king, her cousin Cadagaen as well as her lost sketchbook. Merrick noticed her looking at the sketchbook and flipped back and forth until he found a sketch of the signet ring Martha was wearing in the book and then asked her about the pictures in the book. It was at this time that a servant knocked and interrupted the exchange stating that it was time for dinner to begin.

The baron told him to begin serving the outer tables and he would be along shortly. After the door closed, Merrick asked Martha if she knew what the pictures in the book meant and Martha explained it was her sketchbook and it explained truth of how Cadagaen came to power and how the rightful ruling family was deposed and forced to flee the capital of Cadessa and live in exile and poverty.

With that, the second knock came from the servant and Merrick excused himself and asked Gunter to take the party to their table in the banquet — a table that was near enough to the baron for the party to come to his assistance if needed, an answer that put Io in some measure of relief.

Merrick opened the banquet and later made the formal introductions of the royal guests before the ball began. It was during this time that the emissary from Mastingdor was introduced as the Lady Justina Svyndari, the daughter of the Duke of Cadessa, Lord Avastraer Svyndari. It wasn’t her elegance, demeanor, and courtly charm that helped Martha and Io recognize her. It was more how she carried herself in earlier meeting that recognized this budding “war flower” from Mastingdor as Justina the Swift, a thief, spy, and assassin. Despite all the distractions and odd social situations, including Merrick asking Martha for the first dance of the evening, the night went without incident…but if eyes could have been daggers, the ballroom floor would have been inches deep in blood.

The day after the ball, the adventuring party was again brought to Merrick’s study as the rest of the castle staff was occupied with cleaning-up and preparing for the rest of winter. The young baron was having a difficult time trying to connect the happenings in the west with those of the north, but knew in the end, it was very possible that he would be forced to defend the barony on two fronts as once.

It was also in this meeting that Marcus Dagfin reported that the white-grey body with the clear hair must have been a doppleganger, a shape-shifter, known in ancient times to be masters of change and deceit, but it was unclear as to who he (or she) was working for at this time. Martha also remembered at this time that there was a message in the coin purse she lifted off the body the day of the shape-shifter’s death. She pulled-out the message and handed it to “mom” Connie who’s jaw dropped when she saw it and after gaining her composure, read the simple message aloud that said: “Kill the elf-like witch.”

Merrick asked the party if they would help deal with matters in the north and asked what they could do for them.

Saleigh asked for the equivalent of a line of open credit to help the party cope with supply and assistance issues, but Merrick could not (in good faith) issue one as it was one of the pillars of reform he instituted in order to help reign-in the barony’s skyrocketing debt burdens he inherited from his father. (Also, unbeknownst to the rest of the party, Saleigh had concocted a special draught for Merrick to give his father to help ease his suffering and also sent a message of warning to the Lady Harland about Constance.)

Micha was helped with an older book from the archives that Marcus Dagfin had found years earlier.

Io was taken to the armory by Gunter where he found an exquisitely made falchion that was given to him as a gift and mark of his association with the baron’s own personal guard.

Constance was given a scroll and a formal and legal title, that of “Lady of Boisen Springs” as well as a deed to the land in and around the area and a small sum to help begin rebuilding the monastery and restoring the monastic order.

Martha was offered political asylum and protection in the baron’s own keep in Aspenwood as well as a stipend to keep her in the custom she should be afforded due her station. While a very generous offer, Martha instead only asked to keep the ceremonial (and heirloom) dagger she wore the evening before, her sketchbook, and the right to accompany her friends back to Boisen Springs.

The party left Merrick and Aspenwood and on the horses provided by him, made it to Alduin in three days where they saw the beginnings of refugees flocking to the town for protection as well as the signs of militia men marshaling for a coming fight.

The baron had arranged for a change of fresh horses and the party was able to make it back to Trindam’s Pass in four days as the snow began to again fall in thick, heavy snowflakes. Almost immediately upon arrival, the sheriff and now the town’s militia captain (by virtue of his dual-hatted position as sheriff and magistrate), Peter Lawson, told the party quickly of the skirmishes north of town.

Dale Falls had been captured last week and only a small number of survior refugees had been able to bring the information back to Trindam’s Pass. Skirmishers and scouts had been making contact with organized bands of kobolds supported by gnolls — the same creatures the party warned the town about weeks earlier.

Enemy skirmishers were expected to attack Trindam’s Pass last night, but the most recent reports indicated that the enemy was massing and would attack the town either from the new wooden bridge that crossed the river north of town or through the newer section of town (and the more sturdy stone bridge) to the town’s south near the sheriff/magistrate’s office building which was designed to be a mini fortification for just such a purpose.

Mike Luit was also in attendance and stated that his building, the [[The Mountain Goat Tavern & Inn | Mountain Goat Tavern & Inn]], would serve as a secondary barracks and reinforcing strong point.

It was then that a dispatch rider brought word that the enemy was approaching the north bridge and Sheriff Lawson ordered Sergeant Iorveth and his team to stop the enemy’s advance on that side of town and the Battle for Trindam’s Pass began as the snow started to fall more heavily….

Session 08

Eighth Session Summary:

Session Introduction: Iorveth had recently sent a note to Baron Merrick Harland via a special courier arranged through Trindam Pass’ sheriff and magistrate, Peter Lawson. The sheriff told Io, now one of his trusted sergeants, that it would likely be two weeks or more until a reply (if any) would come now that winter had Trindam’s Pass in its snowy clutches. A courier’s summer travel would be four to five days, given the message riders at each way station were prepared to run dispatches. However, in the winter and with this year’s heavy early snows, the roads would be less hospitable.

Io’s message was simple, efficient, and ensured the party’s business obligations with House Harland and the young “baron-let” were fulfilled. Yet, as a sell-sword with some experience, he may have been looking for follow-on business as he wrote the following:

On another one of the pass’s snowy evenings, the Sisteenth of December and the first day marking the start of the two-week long Midwinter Festival, a militia member from Trindam’s Pass found Io and his companions once again in the common room of the Mountain Goat Tavern sharing in the festival’s opening revelry. The party was even able to coax Saleigh into being with them in public for this evening, but she had already made her excuses for the actual day of the coming Winter Solstice where she indicated that she’d be doing something on her own that night.

“Master Iorveth! I’m glad to have found you!” the guard said in a huffing pant as the snow flew from his cloak onto other now-grumbling tavern dwellers as the guard reached for a pouch. “A dispatch rider just road into town and Sheriff Lawson said to get this to you as quickly as possible and report back so he could debrief the rider.”

With that, the guard produced a message sealed in wax with the House Harland’s crest, a roaring lion’s head and decorative mane, but with a special flourish decoration over the lion’s head signifying that this was from the Baron himself. All present recognized the lion’s head because it was worn by all the baron’s personal bodyguard, but the crowning flourish very few of the masses knew meant that the message originated from the baron himself.

Mike Luit, upon recognizing the mark, motioned to all of you to follow him once again to the back room saying, “C’mon…all of you. Back here quickly before you’ll have to hunt down and skin some overly curious cat later tonight.”

And with that, everyone was led by by Mike to the back room as he told Cecilia to bring their drinks and food back there, too. Cecilia, already overly busy tonight, shot him a dirty glance and almost sent a barrage of heated words to him, but the slap on her buttocks from a town newcomers allowed her to lay into that poor gentleman instead, much to the amusement and frivolity of his table companions — and everyone else in the room.

Once the party, including Mike, was securely in the back private office of the tavern and the door was closed, Io opened the note and began to read it…

Session Summary: The decision made by all was to travel to Aspenwood, but on foot, not on horseback. Despite the time advantage mounted travel would have given the party, they all chose to not go and talk to the stable master once again and ask for more horses, especially after what happened the last time they rented horses for an expedition…

After a few days of preparations, the part set-off towards Aspenwood. The weather was, for this time of year, quite cooperative. Freezing temperatures, some snow, but nothing like the earlier blizzard that nearly killed two of the party’s members. But the journey wasn’t without event.

As the party was about one day away from reaching Alduin, a smaller town somewhat midway between Trindam’s Pass and Aspenwood, a pack of eight well-armed and well-trained gnolls attacked the group. By the looks of them, they were advanced scouts looking deep into the human-inhabited territory called Harland Barony for reasons still yet unknown. While the fight was touch and go, the party came out of the scuffle victorious but well bloodied. It appeared as if the first group of gnolls they met in the woods a few weeks ago were not they kind they would be facing if their fears were to be believed.

A quick respite in Alduin helped refresh the party and they set-out once again for the rest of their journey. The remaining few days saw nothing happen on the road — and that is to say NOTHING. No birds, no animals, no fellow travelers, no tracks, and no sounds. It seemed as if the entire world had stopped and they were the only ones left alive. It wasn’t until the party spied the rooftops of Aspenwood that fears some normalcy crept back into their senses.

After entering the lower city’s reaches, Martha told the party that things in the town, while quiet, were little changed from her four years of living on the streets here. While Martha couldn’t tell the exact way to get to the Baron’s keep in town (a place she purposefully avoided during her time spent waiting for her friend, Carion, to meet-up with him again), she did recommend going to a hole-in-the-wall pub called the Rusty Knife. While there, Martha was able to get some information from older acquaintances who had helped her in the past, but Io did as he normally did and chose not to be subtle about where he wanted to go.

No help was offered in The Rusty Knife when asked for assistance to get to the Baron’s residence, except for the typical “…it’s up on the hill…” and “…keep going and you’ll find it…” answers. Frustrated from the rudeness and extra caution (and distrust) the locals gave to strangers, the party decided to make it on their own.

About twenty minutes after leaving the bar, the party was approached by a beer-sodden drunk they noticed earlier in the pub. He said his name was “Mate” and that he’d help get the party to the gates leading to the upper quarter of the city and point-out the road that lead directly to the keep’s gatehouse — the entry way to the Baron’s audience room. Mate agreed to help the party this much in exchange for a few pieces of silver, likely enough to set himself up for a week’s drunk on something better than the swill he smelled of. Despite the risks and some of the party’s misgivings, the party as a whole accepted this proposal in order to make-up for lost time spent traveling.

Mate cheered-up, puffed-up and began to strike-up conversations with the group while he was playing tour guide through the city’s lower quarter. Martha sensed that Mate was taking them on the longer route, likely in an attempt to garner a tip at the end of the tour, but said nothing. It was as the party moved into a larger area with a number of smaller alleyways that a larger ruffian approached the party and told a confused and now cowardly Mate to “…beat it or be dead…”

The ruffian tried to extort money as a “toll” as the alleyways were blocked from all directions by two-dozen archers, club-wielding bandits, and otherwise armed thugs. Even a few window shutters displayed glints of nocked arrows pointing directly down at the party. While the price for passage was set at an outlandish and extremely unforgiving ten gold pieces for the party to continue traveling unscathed, it was a price the party could neither pay nor was willing to pay…and it appeared as if the toll-takers wanted it no other way as well.

The fight broke-out with Io and Martha striking at the apparent leaders of the group while a few of the crossbowmen on the street took some well-aimed shots at Saleigh. Early in the fight, one of the lesser bandits took the brunt of Io’s blade and went down quickly, but not so quick that the party didn’t notice that as he took his last breath, his face and skin changed from pink to a whitish grey and sallow color and his hair changed from a dirty-brown to an almost translucent clear white as he bled-out on the city street.

Somewhere in the middle of the fight, Martha, not comfortable with fighting in such tight quarters, took-off down an alley to the taunting of some unseen foe — unseen except for a glance by Io. Martha came back into the fight again to see Saleigh the obvious target of the bandits’ wrath. Micha did what he could to help-out, but given the fight in the city and his magic being suspect in these settings, he still was able to dispatch a few of the bandits while also starting a corner of one of the buildings on fire.

As the bandits had more reinforcements appear and the party was nearing the end of its stamina, a final set of boots running along the pavement echoed in the alleyways and as everyone heard a half dozen bowstrings pull back and loose as many arrows, it was to the party’s relief that feathered shafts appeared in the backs of their assailants. Two volley’s from the town’s guard was enough to send the rest of the bandits scattering along with seeing their leaders fall.

The leader of the archers introduced himself as Gunter Atur, Captain of the Baron’s personal guard. The tabard on his uniform sporting the baron’s crest was enough to make his claim official, as were the markings on his men. Gunter asked if anyone in the party was named Iorveth, to which Io answered. Gunter told the party that he came as soon as he heard that the party had made its entry into the city because he was told by Baron Merrick to be expecting a group traveling from Trindam’s Pass very soon with the same numbers and description fitting those here.

The captain quickly saw the dead lying around and his attention quickly fell upon the white-skinned, clear-haired human-ish figure fallen in the melee. He ordered that the body be quickly covered and that it be taken to the keep immediately. Martha, upon hearing this and being closest to the body at the time, grabbed a cloak and covered the body and relieved the corpse of its purse with no one seeing her slight of hand trickery.

Captain Atur and his men escorted the party to the baron’s keep and upon entering, quickly instructed some of the servants to prepare chambers and fresh clothing for the party members while he murmured something to the soldiers carrying the unique corpse hurrying them off to a darker hallway in the castle.

Gunter, right before the party reached their chamber rooms, said that he’d inform the baron that you were here and that you would be joining him for dinner later. Gunter said that he now had to go tell the stewards that there needed to be one more table set for the banquet, the one celebrating the last of the midwinter festival.

So, a mere eighteen days after receiving Baron Merrick Harland’s invitation to be guests, the party was getting cleaned-up and preparing to be guests at the Baron’s Midwinter Festival Banquet and Ball held on the 3rd of January of this new year 1301.

Sixth Session Summary:

Session Introduction: Twenty days passed since the party surfaced from the caverns where they encountered the kobolds. On that twentieth day, the party was commissioned by the baron to conduct a deep reconnaissance into the mountains to search for signs of a gathering kobold invasion, only to have their mission changed in order to confirm that the town of Boisen Springs has been attacked (maybe destroyed) by kobolds.

Ten days later, after refitting and preparing for an expected fight, the party arrived at Boisen Springs only to find it completely deserted…and utterly destroyed.

Clues such as footprints, pottery shards, and some lost weapons indicate and do confirm that this attack was done by kobolds, but some larger tracks (while also reptilian) did not appear to be kobold tracks, but something else. Martha climbed the town’s nearly razed tower and discerned that the attack came from the west of the town and the pillaging kobold army departed towards the north.

A full day’s investigation in the thorpe’s ruins found no one alive with some corpses dragged to the town’s outskirts where they were devoured by wolves, mountain lions, or (as the mammal tracks indicated) something larger and even more fierce.

As the chill in the air became heavier and the season’s first snowfall was threatening, party was deciding which way to travel — to the west and the origin of the attack or to the north, to follow the attackers — they heard a beating of leathery wings high in the air. While the party has heard the flap of bat wings before as well as that of the stirges deep in the forest, these sounds were made from something much, much larger…

Session Summary: That leathery flapping of wings turned-out to be something much, much worse than the beating of stirge wings.

The wings belonged to a large, white or ash-grey bellied dragon, the type of whom had not been seen in this region in anyone’s memory except for those of only the longest-lived demi-human races of the elves or dwarves. To the surprise of all, even the oldest of these races could not place the appearance of dragons in their own lifetimes, but in the lifetimes of their grandparents.

An ancient evil had resurfaced. Whether it was because the humans drove deeper and deeper into the mountains or because they razed and pillaged the land for their own personal wealth (and not that of the elder dragons), remained unknown. All that was known was that the dragons had returned and were actively reclaiming their place as the only true rulers of the mountain regions who were willing to raze or enslave those foolish enough to venture into their ancient fiefdoms.

But this is beyond the party’s experience…but by the feelings in their thumbs, they knew that something wicked this way comes…

The party, shortly after seeing the dragon’s overflight of Boisen Springs, was beset upon by a handful of flying spiretop drakes and a pack of fell drakes sent to kill the latest visitors to the now destroyed monastery. Before anything else could happen, the party sent Bart in all haste back to Trindam’s Pass in order to give a first report to the Baron on their day’s findings and confirm the destruction of Boisen Springs. Just as soon as Bart turned the bend leading into the town and had ridden beyond earshot, all hell broke loose as drakes attacked the party.

While Iorveth kept some of the most dangerous drakes from re-entering the monastery’s ground floor and Micha fought-off the flying spiretop drakes that were constantly grabbing at his pouch, weapons, and backpack with Callie and Saleigh helping pick-off the drakes landing on the monastery’s broken upper-level balcony.

Martha, still in the tower keeping watch, found a way to get back into the fight by climbing up the tower, jumping through a broken window, sliding down the roof and landing just a few steps ahead of the swarm of fell drakes and led them into an ambush inside the chapel. She later awed the entire party once again by leaping from the balcony onto the back of a drake that was flying away with Callie’s crossbow, causing it to crash and drop the crossbow, turning the tide of the battle, but not before Callie accidently discovered that the hot spring well in the center of the destroyed church did, indeed, have exceptional healing powers.

After the fight and a bit of wound-licking, the party followed the sole escaping flying drake that was heading in the same direction as the dragon had previously flown as well as in the direction of the kobold tracks. It took the party four days to track the kobolds, specifically the one kobold that Saleigh and Callie glimpsed and assumed was spying upon all the happenings in Boisen Springs. This kobold may have also been the one responsible for setting the drakes upon them, but no one could be sure about this.

The kobold tracks led to a very large encampment of kobolds. Callie and Martha went ahead to scout. They found that the war party was at least fifty strong with nearly a half dozen needle-fang drakes in their midst acting like attack dogs, the same kind that gave Io a run for his money in the monastery’s ruins. Callie and Martha took good notes and were ready to disappear back into the woods and head back to their own party, but Callie slipped on some loose rocks and alerted the kobolds to their presence.

Callie and Martha ran as fast as they could to warn the party to prepare for an assault by the now enraged kobolds chasing after them. The party had just enough time to prepare a hasty defense on a rock outcropping when four squads of kobolds attacked led by a handful of extremely competent and well-trained leaders.

The battle was fierce as the kobolds swarmed and overwhelmed nearly every party member at one point in time, Micha more than most. In a battle that ebbed and flowed in each side’s favors, the party led by Io and assisted by Micha was able to blunt the assault upon their middle and slowly attrit the kobolds attacking their flanks. Callie and Saleigh were able to defeat one set of kobold attempting to turn their flank, but Micha could not hold back the onslaught on his side of the perimeter and was constantly being swarmed and knocked down, only to keep getting up and fighting over and over, but having all breakables he was carrying in his backpack crushed (including the large egg he had taken from the hatchery weeks earlier).

Eventually Saleigh’s summoned wolf spirit companion checked the kobolds’ advance. The panic it threw into the kobolds was just enough to allow the party to regroup at just the right points in time to turn the tide of battle.

A kobold sniper took note of her and Io’s effectiveness and began to take pot shots at them only to have Callie see this kobold’s game early forcing her to run away from the safety of the group in order to grab and hold this particularly deadly kobold’s attention. Her actions, while eventually successful, did cost her her life, but allowed her party to survive.

During the end of the fight, the party was torn between rescuing an exhausted Micha who was being dragged into the woods by drakes and ill-tempered kobolds and aiding Callie who was in a death-match with the kobold sniper. While assistance was given to both, the party’s unattended horses were beset upon by a pack of hungry wolves that feasted on the helpless and tethered horses and, in the process, destroyed all the party’s gear fastened to the poor creatures.

By the end of the day, the kobold war party was defeated, but Callie lay dead and the party had just enough food to get back to Boisen Springs where they hoped they could gather supplies that would allow them to return to Trindam’s Pass with a proper report to render to the Baron Merrick Harland.

Fifth Session Summary:

Session Introduction: Three days is what it has taken the party to recover after the big fight. After taking some time to go through the happenings since everyone headed down here. A few more puzzle pieces fell into the party’s lap, but the whole picture is still obscured.

No big money stash down here where the most heavily armed kobold soldiers lived, so it must be somewhere else assuming it exists. What could be more important than the armory and barracks down here in these caves?

Human “dirt slaves” brought in to take care of the kobolds waste. One was good enough at first, but a second was brought-in fairly recently. Was there a need for more workers because of increased (or soon to increase) work loads?

The party has learned about a leader kobold named “Sslik” who seems to be the top-dog, err, top-lizard down here. Is he (or she?) the same kobold who led the caravan ambush that knocked the party out those many weeks ago?

The party has eighteen days of rations remaining, but that will go faster now that there are two more human mouths to feed with Anton and Lago joining the crew and needing protection.

While Anton can “pay” for his way by helping carry the load, he doesn’t look like he’ll do well in a fight right now. After a few days of good food, good rest, and basic fighting training, he might be able to hold his own against the kobold runt soldiers, but not against those beefier kobold pikemen.

As for Lago…well, he’ll have to earn his keep by giving the party information he may remember after being down here for the past three or four months. However, his frame of mind is very fragile and his physical condition is just as bad. It remains to be seen if he’ll even survive to get back to camp let alone to get back with the party to Trindam’s Pass or back to his own life in Dale Falls.

Then again, the party only has about twelve more days to get back topside and link-up with Nodwick, Baron Harland‘s man, before he has Wilham and Oswald (the two porters) break camp and head back to Trindam’s Pass. Miss that deadline and Nodwick heads back to the baron and the baron in turn looks for the party’s heads.

So, now back to the mineshaft to take a look into that eastern passage, but is it too early to begin thinking about how to best climb up that mineshaft?

And if that is the current debate, the follow-on discussion will be questioning if it is also too early to begin thinking about what the party will tell both Baron Harland and Marcus Dagfin about this expedition, let alone give-up all the hard-won trophies everyone has collected.

Session Summary: As the party continued to recover after fighting two large bands of kobold soldiers, their investigation of the local areas and questions of Anton and Lago led them to believe that they stumbled upon a large barracks “cavern” of sorts. It looked as if these kobolds were preparing for some big operation to kick-off really soon, but that wasn’t the only surprise down there.

It seems that the kobold that Callie’s shot pushed over the cliff edge was very different from the others. Not physically, that is. After all, he WAS still a kobold, but compared to some of the rest of the brutes in lying around, this one was of slighter build but with garments, armor, and accoutrements that would rival those of any well-to-do citizen back in Trindam’s Pass or even the barony’s chief city, Aspenwood. But if this wasn’t enough, this particular kobold also had a signet ring on him, somehow marking him to have some status in this group, but the symbol on this ring was mostly destroyed after he fell. Io collected the ring (with the kobold’s finger) and his decorated shield (nothing more than a serving plate in size) and deposited

The party went back to the mineshaft with their two new tag-alongs and decided to take the last corridor to the east despite Lago’s objections. Io gave the two a days worth of rations each and Saleigh calmed them down as best as she could before the party began venturing down the east passage.

After travelling only a short distance into this cavern, the party spotted one kobold that obviously spied them first. He already had a stick with a stone fastened to one end of it that he used to start rapping on the ground slowly at first, then faster and faster until a swarm of giant rats the size of very small dogs appeared from the shadows and came running towards us. As these rats came towards us, the rat master disappeared into the shadows as another two revolting rats the size of large guard dogs followed the smaller swarm.

While Bart seemed to be snipped and snapped to no end, the rest of the party handily defeated the rats, but lost the rat master in the dark. As they closed towards the place where they last saw the rat master, the rapping again began from a dark corner or passageway, but this time it was answered with kobold war cries as two large groups of them spilled out of two caverns.

These groups, however, were much smaller and less well-armed than those we’d met earlier, but they fought with a ferocity and tenacity that almost put the other group to shame…and we later found-out why after we moved the twenty or so dead kobold bodies that blocked the corridors they were guarding — fall of them female kobolds we noticed after the fighting was concluded.

Each of these two corridors ended in a small cave chamber, but both chambers were warmed by some kind of geothermal hotspot. The heat in these chambers was needed to incubate what we estimated to be about one hundred fifty or more really large eggs, one clister of which looked as if it was getting ready to hatch.

The eggs (see below), were shaped like normal chicken or goose eggs, but they were each about a hand-span long and speckled like the one shown below. While we don’t know if kobolds lay eggs to reproduce, we were positive that these eggs could not have come from these kobolds.

Micha, Saleigh, Bart, and Io decided to each take an egg. Bart, so excited that the eggs might be dragon eggs, used his axe and chopped into one yielding a small, lizard-like creature with stubby winglets (see above). Everyone was convinced that they had stumbled upon a dragon hatchery.

It was at this point that the rat master again made his presence known, and with a lot of teamwork, the party surrounded him and isolated his escape route before he could do any more damage. Trapped and after seeing what the party did to the rest of his fellows, he chose to take his own life rather than risk being captured.

However, there was one corridor that remained unexplored…and Io led the way with Bart following. Bart, however, was not having the best of days. Maybe it was because all the rats had earlier snipped and snapped at his feet and he was feeling a bit off his game, but Bart ended-up tripping over a pile of rocks that broke a glass vial and released a cloud of poisonous gas in his general area and spread over Io and Micha as well. While not flammable, it did sap the strength of these three for a short while until the cloud dissipated. We pressed forward knowing that a trap of this sort wouldn’t be used unless there was something important at the end of the corridor — and we weren’t wrong.

We found what appeared to be a small office of all things. A kobold office complete with a desk, torch, sconce, papers, books, quills, and (as Callie discovered) a small locked wooden chest. We didn’t have time to tinker with the chest right away, so Callie stuffed this into her pack for later inspection.

We all returned to the central mineshaft and given that we had more than six people in it, there seemed to be some kind of pressure plate that was tripped because the four doors at this deepest level started closing as slabs of stone started lowering from the rooftop inside each passage to the floor. At the same time, the odd little grubs came slithering along the cavern floor and entered the mineshaft from each exit before the doors sealed themselves.

The party had to climb its way out as these grubs began to squirm and slither all over our boots and began biting and burrowing into the cracks and seams of our clothing, beginning to devour our flesh. Thankfully none of us fell as we climbed our way up and out of the mineshaft, Martha leading the way at a pace and with the grace and ease none could match…unless they were part spider! For those who couldn’t clime, especially Saleigh (who still seemed to be favoring one arm and hand) and Anton were pulled up by Bart, Io, and Callie.

Lago never made it out of the mineshaft nor did he even have a chance to try and climb the rope. The sight of these grubs terrorized him so much that he began to stomp, yell, shout, and attempt to kill the dozens of tiny creatures swarming around him, only exciting them and enticing them to attack and eventually devour him.

Everyone else made it up the shaft, albeit some worse for wear, and met-up with Nodwick, Wilham, and Oswald at surface camp. After a good night’s rest, the group headed back to Trindam’s Pass with their new-found trophies. A few days later, the group was attacked by a large band of over two dozen kobolds, including a sorcerer.

The kobolds ambushed the party and took the upper hand quickly, again launching fire shot against the group from slingers in the same way the party was ambushed three months ago when they first made their way to the Trindam’s Pass area.

As the kobold groups converged on the party attacking and incapacitating Io, sniping at Callie, and moving to overwhelm Micha, Saleigh went berserk and ran directly between both groups and in her fury, unleashed a huge surge of magic that decimated all but a hand-full of attackers and caused the remaining four kobolds to flee back into the woods.

The party returned to Trindam’s Pass a few days later to the warm welcome Marcus Dagfin prepared. It seems Marcus was expecting the party — probably because Nodwick sent Wilham during the night to tell Marcus the party would arrive the next day. Marcus was extremely pleased about seeing everyone and tickled pink when Io began pulling item after item out of his bag: ant mandibles, a giant cockroach wing, bioluminescent mushrooms, and the huge rat fang. Most exciting to Marcus were the kobold artifacts, including the dagger and short sword, shield, signet ring, and the papers found in the office. Marcus said that it would take him a few days to arrange for them to meet their financier, Baron Merrick Paxton Harland, and give him a report as well as have the party collect the rest of their payment.

During the next few days, the party members adjusted to town life once again, except Bart who went back into the woods to live off his remaining rations despite the oncoming winter. Micha spent a lot of time not working a day job, but trying to decipher the letter Callie said was locked away inside the small chest she took from the kobold’s office. Callie also gave the chest to Saleigh telling her it was full of a lot of coins, likely taken from caravans and unwary travellers.

A day before the party was to meet with Marcus and the baron in order to collect their fee and render their discovery, Micha read the contents of the letter (written in Ikoharic, the Dragon language as he told them).

As the party was finishing-up reading and discussing the letter, Marcus joined them and apparently heard the last snippets of the conversation. It scared him so much he left the inn for a while, only to come back in later and tell them about old books that told of a new rising of enemies from the mountains who would rise-up and vanquish any who came. He also told them that the baron was going to see them the next evening and they really needed to tell the baron of their findings.

The next evening, the party met Marcus at the Mountain Goat Tavern & Inn as previously arranged and he took them to the house where the baron was waiting, recognizing some of the same men the baron brought with him last time. However, this time, they met a baron with a different tenor and tone — one who was overwhelmed with the responsibility of running the barony at such a youthful and inexperienced age.

The party told the baron what happened and discussed the letter they had found with him. The baron let the party into his confidences and said that he had heard similar wild rumors, but this new information and the hard evidence the party had now placed before him. He commissioned the party to go on a deep reconnaissance into the mountain highlands to find what they could of kobold forces massing in the wilds and preparing for an assault. While no fee was set, the young baron did agree to get the party horses and equipment to have them set-out on their journey.

The next day, the baron arrived in town — officially this time (and not under the cover of darkness and disguise) and with all the pomp and circumstance afforded by his office. He was greeted warmly and genuinely by the people of Trindam’s Pass and was taken into the Mountain Goat Tavern & Inn for a brief time to talk to the town’s leaders about their future and his plans for their town confirming the rumor that he was going to build a stronghold in the area starting in the spring.

Martha, Io, Callie, and Micha were in the tavern as the baron delivered his message with Saleigh back to tending horses in the stables and Bart in the countryside outside of town somewhere. The baron made no notice of seeing or knowing any of the party members, but instead spent his time talking to the official and formal town leadership with the unofficial, informal, yet very influential leaders standing closely nearby.

During the audience, a dispatch rider came bolting into town almost running down three people getting to the tavern in such haste. He had a message for the baron, but despite its urgency, he was told to inform the baron in private of its contents. Mike Luit, the tavern’s owner, led the baron to his back office where the messenger followed, exiting a few moments later, once again in a hurry to be on his way.

Io happened to see the baron through a crack in the door as the messenger was leaving. The baron looked as if even more sorrow and responsibility was heaped upon him, doubling the load he already was carrying. In that same moment, the baron motioned for Io and the rest of the party to come in.

He told them that he had to leave immediately and he’d have to conclude the business with them quickly. The baron needed the party to now investigate and confirm the message brought to him by the dispatch rider that the town of Boisen Springs had been overrun and sacked by “little lizard men.” The baron mumbled to himself saying something like “…so this is how it starts…”

The baron then stood-up and tossed a pouch of 150 SP for equipment and payment on the table and said that the pouch’s contents was all that he could afford to equip them with for now and that they needed to depart as soon as possible. He did state that he left payment for six horses for the party to use at the town’s stables.

He also asked for one of the town militia sergeants to come in and told them that he would be authorized to procure and produce any armor or armament from the militia’s armory that the party needed to equip themselves in order to conduct a special assignment deep in the mountains. The militia would be paid a fair price for replacement equipment if any was taken.

And with that, the party saw the baron take a deep breath, compose himself, and make his way out of the private room back into common room where he made pleasant small talk and apologized for his abrupt need to depart, but promised to return in the very near future to conclude his business in town.

And the party began making its plans to depart for Boisen Springs as soon as possible…

Fourth Session Summary:

Session Introduction: It’s nine days since the party met with the defacto Baron of Harland, Merrick Paxton Harland, and two days since the party entered the lowest caverns after descending the mineshaft. Of the ten entryways on the walls of the shaft, so far only three have been explored: the one leading to the uppermost level with the octagonal “light” room, and the southern and western passages at the bottom of the shaft.

Thus far, the party has run afoul of oversize insects that seem to thrive on the fungus and molds of this deep area and the warm (almost hot) mineral springs. Also found were two kobold mining parties, one of which was quickly dispatched and the other captured and later released after providing only minimal information.

The party returned to the mineshaft and now decided on whether to take the passage heading north or the passage heading east…

Session Summary: It seems as if the party came close to bitting-off more than they could chew, but as their teamwork started to solidify and they began to understand the battlefield, their potential and prowess started to make them look like they could stand toe-to-toe and eyeball-to-eyeball with an invading kobold army.

The party did choose to take the north passage deciding to keep with their developing pattern of route selection — always to left. They party worked their way through a narrow, rough-hewn passage filled with crumbling rock. This path, however, showed signs of passage with overturned stones and shoulder-height scratches on the rock walls…signs of kobolds shouldering spears or picks.

The party’s rogues, Callie and Martha, took to scouting ahead and found another mining party busy at work. The party decided to talk to the kobolds and took a lot of efforts to be friendly, even having Micha speak to them in a lizardly hissing sound he called Draconic, the language of kobolds and supposedly spoken by dragons as well. While things began to look like they were working, it was either the sudden appearance of the heavily-armed and armored Iorveth or Callie’s not-so-casual readying of her crossbow that they didn’t like and a fight broke out.

Short and sweet this fight happened to be with two kobolds wielding knives that looked more like kitchen utensils and given that most of the kobold miners ran away down some other passages, the party did manage to take one prisoner.

While we learned that the kobold “boss” here was names “Ssss-lik,” before Bart could ask him any more questions of value, another kobold threw a rickey, spider-filled cage towards Iorveth and Micha that fell short but spewed a huge mass of spiders that started attacking the group. Seeing that cage fly apart and the spiders run amok must have been too much for that beaten kobold because he bolted between an opening between the cave wall and Bart, but Bart’s quick reaction tripped him up and foiled his escape.

Callie single-handedly engaged that vermin handler while the rest of the group was busy with the spider swarm that was now loosed upon them. Whether it was Bart’s unconventional plan of tossing the fleeing kobold into the middle of that hungry swarm seemed to satisfy their frenzy, Saleigh‘s mutterings and the appearance of water trying to drown the spider swarm, or Callie’s two crossbow bolts that struck and pinned the cage-tosser to the cavern wall like a poorly-hung costume, the spiders’ scattered and no longer appeared to be a threat. Io, per normal, did snatch one of the drowned and singed spiders as yet another souvenir. Between ant mandibles, cockroach wings, and trinkets from these lizardly-like creatures, he’ll have quite a collection to show Marcus Dagfin once all is said and done!

Despite the fight, the party chose to press-on and noticed that the tunnel turned into a well-crafted stone passageway, well beyond the skill of these kobolds. Some noted that it may be Dwarven in origin, but no clues could be found.

The cavern opened-up into a huge underground chasm that had a wooden footbridge go off into the dark where no one could see where the bridge ended. Bart chose to go first and while feeling a bit dizzy, ended-up making it to what seemed to be a platform atop a large pillar of stone. Once there, he was hit by something coming out of the abyss from the north that nearly knocked him ten feet and would have knocked him completely of the platform and sent him falling thirty feet down into the wavering shadows if it wasn’t for a well-timed grab. Io ran out to help his comrade and avoided the same large stone that clobbered Bart, but this time coming from the west. The two pulled themselves up and the stone came again from the north and went in an arc heading back to the west.

As Bart and Io were deciding what to do next, the remaining party members came to see what they might be able to do. Saleigh somehow spotted a kobold to the north who was grabbing and hurling a very large stone crudely carved to look like a skull that was suspended by a thick rope from the ceiling. It seemed as if the people on the platform were some kind of pin that the kobold was trying to knock-off and into the chasm below. While no one could yet be sure, everyone was thinking that to the west, further along the rest of that footbridge, another kobold was catching the rock and tossing it back towards the platform. Bart found that to be true once he crossed the last footbridge segment, and he found three other kobolds as well.

Io tried to stand-up and come to his aid, but was also caught in the side by the stone and was knocked off the pillar and fell thirty or so feet down to the bottom of the cavern into the source of the chasm floor’s wavering and shifting dark shadows. His injuries might have been more severe if the oversize worker ants hadn’t broken his fall. Good thing he fell onto the ant trail and was covered in ant goo, though, otherwise that really big ant might have chomped at him like the ones in the other cavern.

Martha ran out to the pillar next to see if she could help Io get out of the cavern while Callie, Saleigh, and Micha were busy trying to eliminate one of those kobolds swinging that stone back and forth. Martha ran across that bridge like it was a solid stone floor and bent in ways and dodged that still-swinging stone that only those very few gifted with extraordinary reflexes and flexibility could manage. Never again will eyes see how a human could run at a dead sprint, stopping instantly and immediately bend so far backwards that the back of their head nearly touched the ground only to flip-around on hands and feet to stand straight-up in less time than it takes to blink. Either way, Martha was able to get a rope out of her pack and start lowering it to Io as the ants continued to march around him and over his boots, no longer seeming to mind his presence.

It was only a matter of time for Bart to kill the four kobolds on his end of the cavern and for the rest of the party to kill the others thereby letting that foul swinging skull-stone to lose its momentum and eventually come to rest directly over the center of the platform. However, after a breather, the party again noticed exquisite stone working on this side of the chasm. It looked as if this was a larger room of some kind, but some kind of geologic weakness allowed the floor to collapsed and create this huge chasm — all except for a pillar with some of the original floor stonework to remain in the middle of the cavern.

When the group again started moving, they examined two doors on the west wall of the circular-walled room. Upon touching the doors, the all but crumbled to splinters and sawdust under the slightest touch, long since rotted away from the inside. The party chose to take the door to the left, entering a hallway with more doors also in very poor condition and some side rooms that were all empty.

In their excitement to continue forward quickly, Bart and Io inadvertently stumbled and each stepped on a stone covering a hidden pressure plate that shot thick, pointed stone stakes out of holes on the adjacent walls. Only with dumb luck did the two manage to escape without injury. Martha volunteered to scout ahead and found a total of eight of these pressure plates and was able to easily disarm seven of them with Saleigh marking the one trigger that defied Martha’s attempts to tame it.

The corridor continued and ended in two rooms, one large, one small, but Bart noticed that air flowed from the joist of where the floor met the small room’s eastern-most wall. Saleigh noticed that the stone might just be a door, and with Martha and Callie’s combined efforts, a secret passage was found that led into a very large, 50′ × 50′ room that lit-up list the upper floor’s octagon room. However, the southeastern corner of this room had crumbled away and an alarm was raised by kobolds who soon came spewing forth.

A large and very heated battle ensued where the party beat-back two waves of attacking kobolds before fighting their way to a position between the room and cavern where they took-up a good defensive position instead of rushing too far into the cavern — all except Bart who stepped just a few feet too deep into the kobold’s kill zone. Despite taking a serious beating, Bart managed to pull back into the party’s main defensive area where the kobolds’ overwhelming advantage in numbers was negated by the natural choke point. While it took some time, the kobolds were slowly reduced in number to the point where Io broke-through into the cavern and challenged the kobold’s leader (was this Sslik?) to a man-to-kobold fight whereby the kobold shot out a quick knee-breaker attack and ran towards the cavern passage to the east where he earlier in the battle directed a runner to leave with a message.

As the kobold leader ran away, Martha ran after him, further wounding him, but getting hurt herself in the fight. Martha managed to slow the kobold just enough to allow Callie to get into the cavern to take a well-aimed shot that caught the kobold in the back of his neck at the base of the skull that pushed him forward into the darkness where a cry of surprise followed by a sickening crunch and splat indicated that the kobold toppled off a cliff in his attempt to escape. He had a small coin pouch on him with only a few silver and copper pieces in it.

After taking a long and well deserved rest, the party heard more sounds coming from the cavern, but these weren’t kobold sounds nor were they kobold voices…these were humans.

The kobolds were keeping two human males as prisoners or slaves: Anton Nicolau and Lago Cibran. Both were cut, bruised, emaciated, and not in the best of shape. Their clothes were shredded from too much time rubbing against rocks, and their nerves were shot. While both were frazzled, Anton was in better physical and mental condition than Lago, and for good reason. After talking about his capture, the party realized that Anton was on the same ambushed caravan as the party, roughly eighty or so days ago.

Lago had already been a prisoner for what he thinks were about three or four weeks before Anton arrived. Lago said he had been captured outside Dale Falls and was bound, blindfolded, and dragged to this place where he’s been a “dirt slave” since that time. While things got better for Lago after Anton’s arrival, the food portions became smaller.

Poor Lago could hardly talk in complete sentences anymore, so severe were his beatings. He could only babble about all the kobolds that were running around and the work he had to do with the eggs in a different cavern. He said the eggs were large, somewhere between a dinner plate and bowl size, maybe larger or maybe smaller. He didn’t know who the leader was because to him, anyone was of higher station in the kobold world, but he did know that the one kobold who fell off the cliff after Callie shot him was one of the higher-ups he’d seen down here. He knew he had a special place in a different cavern (the one with the eggs) away from the rest of the kobolds who held spears or who held picks. He said he’d be willing to take the party there as long as they don’t beat him and keep the kobolds away from him.

Now only the passage to the east remains, and Lago doesn’t like the idea of us going there…

Third Session Summary:

Session Introduction: It’s been two weeks since the party returned to Trindam’s Pass and a few more days have passed since since the party was able to talk to Marcus Dagfin about the “things” he wanted the party to find. Now Marcus wants to charter another expedition plus consumables before the winter weather sets-in to the higher altitudes of the aptly-named “High Country.”

But first, the party needs to meet with Marcus’ and his yet-to-be-named financier…in private. Is this a good or a bad thing for the newly-organizing second expedition? Hmmmm…

In the meantime, the end-of-summer/herald-of-fall merchant caravan has arrived in Trindam’s Pass, a last burst of frivolity before winter’s icy fingers begin to touch the mountain peaks sometime next month.

Session Summary: The meeting with Marcus Dagfin’s financier was quite interesting. Three well-armed and capable-looking bodyguards later and we were sitting and talking with the Baron of Harland himself, Merrick Paxton Harland. Well, not the actual REAL baron, but the baron’s son who has been acting as the baron due to his father’s ill health. While the party didn’t get the full payment Marcus promised, they did end-up negotiating a somewhat profitable price none-the-less.

Instead of 250 SP for the entire party’s fee, Merrick agreed to pay the party 175 SP; one hundred up-front and the remainder to be paid upon completion of the chartered exploration task. He did honor part of Marcus’ former agreement to provision the party for one month and provide (on a loan basis, of course) a mule with two porters. As a surprise, Merrick also required the party to accept one of his own men into their company as his own trusted agent. As a caveat, Merrick did tell the party that compensation to the families of any men accompanying the party would fall upon the party at the price of 10 SP for each man. It took an additional three days to organize and prepare for the journey, but Callie and Martha “earned” some extra cash by successfully “working” at the merchant fair — or was it “working the merchants” at the fair…

After six days of traveling without any significant delays, the entire entourage established camp nearby the ruins. The royal “babysitters” stayed with the mule and guarded the only entrance (and exit?) known to the party that led to the lower ruins and it’s “mineshaft” as it was now called. After some difficulty trying to figure out how to go down that shaft, Callie literally stumbled across a solution…

The party, at Io’s insistance, decided to go to the bottom-most levels first. The order of the day seemed to be super-sized as the party encountered oversized “pony” cockroaches in a cavern with an underground pool and ants larger than an wagon spurred into attack by two groups of kobold miners. One group fell to the group’s blades, but the other, begging for mercy after hearing their comrades’ death squeals upon the party’s steel, gave some information earning them their parole.

As for other things that were noticed…that wolf that kept appearing in the woods also appeared to us underground, and only Callie seems to know something about it and is now eyeballing Saleigh somewhat differently now, but both of them are keeping quiet…or is it keeping secrets?

Micha appears to be some kind of a young wizardling not yet fully-grown into his arcane powers, but still equally adept in a real fight. Slapping and pushing cockroaches one minute and pock-marking giant ants with glowing blue spheres shot from his fingers or a stick the next, only time will tell which side he favors or which side favors him: swords or sorcery…weapons or witchcraft.

Martha, despite her tiny and emaciated frame, held her own in many eyeball-to-eyeball fights, trading blows and covering the backs of both Io and Bart. Then again, talking about backs, leaping twenty feet and skewering a cockroach and riding it like an unbroken mustang was a sight to see!

Bart…well, he’s now seen magic in the fullest sense full — likely the first time he’s ever really seen it, too. He keeps coming-up with these strange stories about the glowing mushrooms we discovered and other things, too, but it is hard to tell if it’s truth he speaks or just more of his stories. His verbal bragging is only outdone by his reckless fighting — but drawing an enemy into a foolhardy mistake has worked to the party’s advantage lately.

Io, ah yes, Io. Iorveth now has his armor and can take a hit, but we still need to see him give more than he gets when the bad guys attack. Don’t get this wrong, because he is an ambitious fighter with some developing skills, but for now, more focus is needed towards refining his technique rather than his current drive on collecting trophies. Yes, everyone may need to thank him in the end when the party revisits its two patrons after this exploratory mission, but if that was done, do you think anyone would hear the end of it?

Eight or nine days since leaving Trindam’s Pass and the ruins here are starting to give-up their secrets, but how many more secrets are there to still find?

Second Session Summary:

Session Introduction: The entire month of July has passed since anything of note has happened to the party in the town of Trindam’s Pass. During this time, each party member has taken odd-jobs in town trying to save enough money to refit and re-equip themselves for more lucrative job prospects. While jobs have been plentiful, the pay has been less than desired and the cost of living has always drained coin. However, through diligence and a bit of luck, each party member has been able to save some money.

At the start of the session, each player rolls the following to see how much money they have saved during the past month:

Number of SP: roll 1d4

Number of CP: roll 4d6

As as bonus, each PC has the chance to see if they found a missing coin purse, jewelry, or some other left-behind items they traded for cash by rolling a 1d100.

If the result is 89 or lower, nothing was found.

If the result is 90 or higher, the party member gains an additional 1d12 in SP and 2d20 in CP.

The party, as per its custom, has met again for the week in the common room of The Mountain Goat Tavern and Inn and is again perusing the job board announcements, but finally with some interesting prospects this time…

Session Summary: Lots of jobs, lots of prospects, next to nothin’ in cash…but that was about to change.

Seems we all were able to save some extra cash over the past month. While most of us earned it, a few of us had the fates smile upon us. Martha found a handsomely full purse someone left behind in the tavern one evening. Callie “found” one as well, albeit it was still attached to that poor drunken fool when she saw first noticed it. Callie said she only caught that coin pouch before it dropped to the floor in order to save it from falling into his drinking buddy’s pool of vomit deposited there a few moments earlier.

Saleigh found a few coins by continuing to tend the horses and even found a few extra dropped her way by some folks who truly appreciated the newfound health their animals showed once they came back to reclaim their beasts of burden. Even Iorveth was able to scrounge-up some extra cash, literally and figuratively as he was seen diving after copper pieces that stuck in floor cracks or sifting in the deeper piles of mud in the street.

Micha found nothing that week except blisters and a lot of sore muscles. It seems that while honest construction work in town was booming, pay was not.

Bart, however, seemed perfectly happy to head-out with his headstrong fashion into the wild on his own looking for “magical relics” as he called them in addition to looking for silver. If he finds either one, it will only be because he stumbled upon it and the gods felt sorry for him and the lack of brains and common sense they gave him when he was born…

The easiest job that entailed the least amount of risk was for some older gentleman, Marcus Dagfin. Marcus was financing an expedition to try and find traces of a “lost civilization” he swore was linked to that gods-awful statue of that lizard-dog thing sitting in the entrance of the Mountain Goat Tavern and Inn. Easy money — head out west and south of town and look for more “kobold” relics, as he stated. Only problem was that while provisioned us for two weeks, we wouldn’t be getting any real pay unless we found the proverbial needle in the haystack.

However, despite Io’s near hexing of us, we did stumble across not just one, but TWO old shrines(?) of some sort. Older than expected and with human bones embedded into rock — along with bones of those nasty kobolds and some other large wolf-dog kind of humanoid mix, I think someone said it was a “gnoll” or something like that. One even had some kind of hidden latch that we opened leading to what could only have been some underground, long-forgotten temple with a few interesting doors, an oddly-lit room, and a deep, wide shaft that went straight down fifty (or more) feet, but without adequate supplies and equipment, we dared explore where it went or what it might hold. Besides, Io said the job only called for bringing back Marcus proof of his “lost civilization” and not risking ourselves much more than we needed…unless he paid us more to find out.

When we met back up with Marcus at the Mountain Goat those two weeks after some close calls with some nasty wolves and very strange (and extremely deadly) bat-like mosquitos, he was incredibly pleased to see what we found for him and instantly wanted to fund another expedition before winter set in. Despite feeling the cooler change in the air that has started to set-in in the higher elevations, we were game for one more go, especially after he agreed to provision us once again AND fund us this time to the tune of 250 SP for our whole crew (enough to equip us for better jobs later!). But good news always comes with bad — he first needs to introduce us to his financier at some time later week.

Good thing we didn’t share with Marcus that sketch Martha drew of that shaft after we returned, especially since it looks like we’re going to go down next time. That map with Callie’s notes may come in handy as we make our preparations. Hmmm…don’t know why Martha didn’t make those notes on her excellent drawing instead of Callie (Martha seems to be quite the artist), but I guess two heads are better than one when delving into the dark depths.

Martha’s sketch with Callie’s annotations

In the meantime, we heard scuttle though town that the fall merchant’s caravan (some called it a carnival) was going to be in town this week as well. Good news for us is that this caravan carries a lot of the things we will need later that the town’s mercantile exchange does not regularly stock. However, as was said before, with good news comes bad and with an influx of strangers, who knows what old (ahem) “acquaintances” may also arrive.

Please, let this coming change bring good omens and fortune and keep at bay ill signs and mishaps, and that greatest of mishap of all…an unfortunate and far-too-early death!

A blog for your campaign

First Session Summary:

GAMECALENDAR/DATES — 15-30 JUN 1300 (15 days)

Each character departed the city of Aspenwood heading on a caravan to the village commonly referred to as Trindam’s Pass. What was supposed to take four or five days turned into six when on the third day the entire caravan was ambushed and sacked by a marauding band of short lizard-like men.

There were only six of sixty persons survived the ambush and as tends to happen, dangerous situations have a way of marking and bonding the most different of people. The survivors were:

Callie Zane, a striking 24 year old human female, 5’6" tall and 135 lbs. with the grace and green eyes of a friendly housecat but with the hardness and coldness of a wild timberwolf waiting to pounce. Callie seems open enough, but when questioned about her past, she goes instantly silent and almost looks as if someone is following her.

Martha Darkwater, another striking human female 20 years old but at 5’5" tall and 105 lbs, very slight and almost emaciated looking as if she never knows where her next meal is coming from. Quiet, unassuming, and able to fade into the shadows quickly, if it wasn’t for her pretty face, one would swear she was raised by rats and other city vermin of the dark alleys.

Micha Ewald, an unassuming and very thin human male, 21 years old standing at and even 6’0" tall but just tipping the scales at 145 lbs., his skinny frame tends to hide his strength and skill with a longsword and agility in armor, but there seems to be more to him than this…

Bart “Skinner” Headstrong, a look-before-you-leap 27 year old human male, 5’10" tall but slight of build at 150 lbs. Bart seems to have an affinity for conspiracies and believes that magic is more common than believed and wants to prove this and make his fortune in this way.

Iorveth Kasper, an apparently martial-seasoned human male fighter of some type, this 28 year old stands 5’11" tall but it the most muscular of the party coming in at 195 lbs. Iorveth seems to have had some military training and doesn’t particularly like working with or for incompetents.

Saleigh Maiken, a human-looking female who favored one arm and constantly appeared to babble to herself. At 24 years old and standing 5’5" and 135 lbs., her look is very unique if not foreign or exotic and not exactly one found in this area.

The party, robbed and nearly destitute, made its way to Trindam’s Pass on foot and to The Mountain Goat Tavern & Inn. There the party met three people: The Quiet Man (Quinn Marlowe), Mike Luit (Tavern Owner), and Cecilia (Head Waitress). Quinn hired the party to assist with an outstanding insurance claim he had against Jochim Gjurd, the owner/operator of the local stable and head teamseter in town.

The party confronted Jochim and assuming he was an underhanded business but with some snooping around, found he was on the up-and-up. After avoiding what would have been a tough fight, the party decided to take their claim to the chief magistrate’s office where they met Peter Lawson and found him to be both the town’s magistrate and sheriff.

The sheriff (and magistrate) said that Jochim was full within the law, but did offer to investigate the party’s story about the missing caravan. The party had Bart go with the sheriff’s men while Iorveth (aka “Io”) filled-in with the town guard. Callie took-up a waitress job at The Snorting Bull Tavern and made some good money in “tips” the patrons gave her, both willingly and unwittingly. Micha found odd jobs working with all the construction crews as a carpenter’s assistant. Saleigha was able to find odd jobs as a healer of sorts as well as a groom in the stables owned by Jochim — a place she also lodged finding the horses better company than the party. Only Martha remained unemployed as she never looked at the job boards and seemed somewhat lost in herself and the surroundings of this tiny town. However, she seemed to find solace in her meager living as if that is all she ever knew her entire life all the while looking for an opportunity of some sort to appear.